The present invention relates to apparatus for handling strip material, such as photographic apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for selectively notching an edge or cutting the whole way through a strip of material such as photographic film.
One type of photographic apparatus that uses strip material (i.e., photosensitive film) is a film recorder. In a conventional film recorder, a light beam from a cathode ray tube ("CRT") or the like is controlled by a deflection system to scan across a stationary frame of photographic film to expose the film with an image. Typically, the images are generated by a computer for the production of slides, transparencies, photographs, or the like. Alternatively, the images can comprise natural images acquired by a scanner or television camera for subsequent processing by a computer.
Known film recorders, such as those sold under the trademark "SOLITAIRE" by Management Graphics, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A., typically include a light source such as a CRT for producing a beam, a deflection system for scanning the beam across the face of the CRT, a system control and central processor unit ("CPU") for controlling the deflection system, and a camera (i.e., "film transport"). The latter component may include a film transport body, lens, lens mounting assembly, aperture plate, film plate, and film transport mechanism. On a Solitaire film recorder, an image to be recorded is first written on the phosphor of the CRT by deflecting an electron beam in a raster pattern and modulating the intensity of the beam. This process is analogous to the creation of a television picture. Alternatively, the image can be written on the CRT using well known time modulation techniques, wherein the beam intensity is constant but the time the beam is kept at each point is varied depending on the exposure required.
The resulting pattern (the "object image") on the CRT is optically imaged onto photographic film by the film transport, which contains the required optics and mechanism to advance the film to successive frames. Other types of light sources can be substituted for the CRT in a film recorder. Examples include fiber optic sources, lasers, and focused light impinging a rotating drum wherein one or more rotations are completed for each scan line.
Film recorders typically accommodate film cassettes which hold long spools of film. It is often desired to remove just a portion of the film after exposure thereof for photographic development. Additional exposures can be made on the film which remains in the film cassette. In order to remove just a portion of film that has been exposed, a cutting mechanism is provided in the film recorder. It is known to provide such a cutting mechanism that comprises a blade operated by an electrically actuated solenoid.
It may also be desirable to merely mark the edge of a film by slitting or notching to enable a photographer or film processing technician ("operator") to identify the beginning of different "takes" in the darkroom. The operator has to merely run his fingers along the edge of the film until he feels a slit or notch that identifies the beginning of each take. Hereinafter, the terms "slitting" and "notching" (or "slit" and "notch") are used interchangeably, and the use of one is not meant to preclude the use of the other or to otherwise limit the scope of the present invention.
The provision of slits in the edge of the film is also useful where the darkroom equipment is limited in the number of frames that it can process at one time. For example, in the "dip and dunk" developing technique, the developing equipment can typically accommodate a maximum length of 36 frames. By providing a slit in the edge of the film every 36 frames, the darkroom operator can easily tear through the film at the slit to obtain strips having a length of 36 frames.
The separate concepts of notching and cutting are known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,177,788; 2,470,291; 2,497,358; and 4,862,200 all disclose film notching arrangements. This group of patents discloses both manual and automated notching techniques. For example, in the '291 patent, a solenoid is disclosed that actuates a cylindrical punch rod to punch the film. However, no combined mechanisms are disclosed that can both notch and cut the film.
It would be advantageous to provide apparatus that can selectively slit just the edge of a strip of material, or cut all the way through the material. The slitting option would be used when it is desired to mark successive takes in the film or to facilitate tearing through the film in the darkroom. When it is desired to provide a length of film for developing that is less than the entire length stored in a photographic apparatus, the apparatus would be actuated to cut all the way through the film.
The present invention provides an apparatus enjoying the aforementioned advantages.